Difference Between sleep() and wait() Method in Java

In this post, we will understand the difference between sleep and wait methods in Java.

Wait

• It belongs to the ‘Object’ class.

• This method releases the lock when synchronization is in process.

• It is not a static method.

• It is to be called only from a synchronized context.

• This method has three overloaded methods, namely

  • wait()

  • wait(long timeout)

  • wait(long timeout, int nanoseconds)

Sleep

• It belongs to the ‘Thread’ class.

• It doesn’t release the lock on the object when synchronization is in process.

• It is a static method.

• From a synchronized context, there is no need to call the ‘sleep’ method.

• This method has three overloaded methods, they are −

  • sleep(long millis)millis: milliseconds

  • sleep(long millis,int nanos) nanos: Nanoseconds